Washington Commanders

Projected Cap Space: $68.7 million

Draft Picks: 6

• 1st (No. 7)
• 3rd (No. 71)
• 5th (No. 145)
• 6th (No. 185)
• 6th (No. 196, MIN)
• 7th (No. 223)

Notable Free Agents: 

• WR Deebo Samuel
• LB Bobby Wagner
• TE Zach Ertz
• G Chris Paul
• QB Marcus Mariota
• DE Von Miller
• RB Chris Rodriguez (RFA)
• K Jake Moody (RFA)
• OL Andrew Wylie
• RB Austin Ekeler
• WR Treylon Burks
• DE Drake Jackson
• CB Jonathan Jones
• CB Noah Igbinoghene
• DE Jacob Martin
• WR Noah Brown
• DT Eddie Goldman
• DE Deatrich Wise
• DE Preston Smith
• RB Jeremy McNichols
• WR Chris Moore

Top Three Needs

1 – Edge Rusher

There were a lot of bad defenses in the NFL in 2025, but the Commanders outpaced them by ranking last in yardage allowed. Fixing the defense has to be high on the priority list for HC Dan Quinn and GM Adam Peters, and it starts up front. While Washington had 42 sacks and ranked 14th, the Commanders got pressure less than 20 percent of the time. 

Miller led the team in sacks with nine and he’s set to be a free agent. He was just a rotational rusher at this point in his career as well, seeing less than 40 percent of the snaps. In fact, Dorance Armstrong is the only real noteworthy edge rusher still under contract and he’s coming off a significant knee injury. The Commanders will need to make multiple additions between free agency and the draft. Trades could be an option too, but that might not be the most judicious use of resources for a team that clearly has a ways to go to be sustainably competitive. 

2 – Offensive Skill Position

This is a broad category but this is also an area where the Commanders need significant help. At the moment, they have WR Terry McLaurin and not much else. Samuel finished as the leading receiver last year with McLaurin missing seven games and parts of a few others to soft tissue injuries. He’s a pending free agent, however. New OC David Blough plans to make McLaurin the centerpiece of the passing game but he needs more pieces around him, otherwise defenses can double McLaurin and call it a day. 

Ertz is on an expiring contract, too, and is also going to be coming back from a major knee injury. At his age, that could be career-ending. Washington’s depth chart is rather bare at both tight end and wide receiver despite some recent draft picks. 

Running back is in a little better shape, with Washington finding a late-round gem in sixth-rounder Jacory Croskey-Merritt. He was good enough to prompt the team to trade away RB Brian Robinson in the preseason, and while his rookie year wasn’t completely smooth, he still finished as the leading rusher and scored eight times. Croskey-Merritt feels like a big-play complement to a more physical back, perhaps Rodriguez if he re-signs. However, this is definitely an area the Commanders could stand to improve with the right player. 

3 – Cornerback

The Commanders have used second-round picks in back-to-back years on CBs Mike Sainristil and Trey Amos, and also traded a third-round pick at the midseason deadline for veteran CB Marshon Lattimore in 2024. Those investments haven’t paid off yet. Lattimore is going to be cut to save cash after spending his Washington tenure either hurt or ineffective. Amos broke his leg in Week 10 after taking some time to work his way into the starting lineup and remains a question mark going into his second season. 

Sainristil has flashed a nose for the ball at least — pulling in eight picks, two forced fumbles and 30 pass breakups in his first two years, playoffs included — but he’s also been picked on by opposing offenses far too often. It feels like the Commanders are still sorting out whether he’s a better fit as a slot corner or outside. Washington’s hope is that Sainristil and Amos develop into solid starters sooner than later but some stability and insurance could be needed, especially as the Commanders try to rebuild their pass rush as well. Coverage and pass rush go hand in hand, and struggles in one area make the job more difficult for the other.  

One Big Question

Does the coaching change get Jayden Daniels back on track? 

The Commanders were just 2-5 in the seven games that Daniels started in his follow-up to Offensive Rookie of the Year honors in 2024, so it’s hard to say that a healthy Daniels would have been the difference in Washington’s season. Quinn and Peters took over a rebuilding team with low expectations, and Year 2 was a reminder of how far the Commanders still need to go to get back to consistent respectability. 

Still, it’s fair to say the Commanders are going to go as Daniels goes. In that regard, 2025 was not encouraging. Daniels’ completion percentage fell nearly 10 points from his sizzling rookie year, and in fact his numbers fell almost universally across the board. He scored 10 times in seven games as opposed to 31 in 17 as a rookie. The injuries were the final, discouraging straw, giving harried Commanders fans bad flashbacks to the falloff after Robert Griffin III’s outstanding rookie year. 

Daniels didn’t have a major knee injury like Griffin, which is an encouraging difference. Durability was a question mark on his scouting report coming out of college, though, as much for his playing style as his thin frame. The way last year played out showed those concerns weren’t without reason. Daniels missed time with an MCL injury, a hamstring issue and finally a dislocated elbow that ended his season, though the fact that Washington had nothing to play for and no reason to risk Daniels further harm contributed to the call to shut him down. 

The statistical regression and the injuries all contributed to Quinn making a somewhat surprising decision to move on from OC Kliff Kingsbury, whose work with Daniels had made him a buzzy coaching candidate again in 2024. Ultimately he felt like Kingsbury’s offense was not giving Daniels and the team the best chance for success, in the short and long term. He’s betting that Blough — the assistant QB coach who is just 30 years old and was a practice squad player before that — can turn things around with a more traditional offensive scheme that mirrors what the Bears, Broncos and 49ers run.

In a year where plenty of established playcallers were available and should have been thrilled to work with Daniels, Quinn is taking a massive gamble with Blough. However, he’s also keeping a familiar face around, one who shouldn’t have any issues building credibility with Daniels. Because the defense will take time to rebuild, the Commanders will have little choice but to lean hard on Blough and Daniels in 2026 as they try to find their way back to success. 

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